Job stress and job satisfaction in child welfare, an analysis of the contributing factors and the impact of supervision

• Main Author: Martinez, Cheryl Noreen
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/976

This practicum was designed to identify levels and contributing factors of job stress and job satisfaction among child welfare workers in a northern agency. The interventions designed for this practicum were implemented through the context of supervision to determine if modifications to current supervisory practices in the agency can influence levels of job stress and job satisfaction among child welfare workers in the north. Supervision has been identified in the literature as an important contributing factor to job satisfaction among child welfare workers. The interventions included individual supervision contracts and a group supervision model. These supervision models differed from traditional supervision practices in the agency. The individual supervision contracts were developed through the forum of individual supervisory conferences and were designed as an attempt to more effectively individualize and prioritize workers supervision needs. The group supervision model was implemented as an attempt to increase support for workers, increase opportunities for professional growth, and increase independent and interdependent functioning, all of which have been identified as important for child welfare workers. The central question addressed in this practicum is the extent to which modified supervision practices impact on overall levels of job stress and job satisfaction among child welfare workers. The findings confirmed that supervision is important to child welfare workers, but revealed more powerful influences on job stress and job satisfaction. Despite the limitations of the interventions, there were some encouraging results.